Quiver & Burn (Surrender to Them 5)

“Sure, I’ll take one too.” Brylee nodded and smiled.

“You know this one is going to suck, right?” She stared at the cover for Sorority Girl Massacre.

“Then let’s watch The Princess Bride and after we have a few beers—that one won’t be as bad as it sounds.” She chuckled and leaned back against the couch.

“We don’t have enough beer to make this movie good.” I tossed Sorority Girl Massacre back on the table and walked over to the television.

I started wishing we had a bigger couch when the three of us sat down. It was closer to a large loveseat than a full sized couch. Brylee was between us and each time she leaned forward to grab some popcorn, her arms brushed against us both. She didn’t seem to mind at all—another worrisome sign. I shared a knowing glance with Rand and saw the same concern in his eyes. I tried to relax and just let things happen. I really did like Brylee. She was more than just a girl with beautiful curves. She was interesting, fun to be around, and had such a genuine love for life. I just hoped I didn’t fall for her while she was falling for Rand—or worse, falling for us both at the same time.

Once the movie started, she stopped moving around as much and my focus shifted to the television screen. It had been a long time since I watched The Princess Bride, but I always liked it. Rand and I were huge fans of professional wrestling when we were kids, so the fact it had Andre the Giant in it made it one that we just had to see. His glory days might have come before we were old enough to watch, but we used to rent old wrestling pay-per-views on the weekend since we couldn’t afford to watch any of the new ones.

Chapter Seven

Brylee

I was starting to struggle with my feelings and desires. The more I got to see of their personalities, the more attracted I got to them—both of them. Jett was so calm and collected, but a lot more serious about everything. He could be charming, but it didn’t seem to be a dominant trait. Rand, on the other hand, was extremely charming but much less reserved. With the three of us sharing a bowl of popcorn, there were a few times when we ended up reaching for it at the same time. Jett always pulled away, but Rand didn’t seem to care if both of us had our hands in the bowl at the same time. I tingled every time his fingers grazed mine. Unfortunately, I felt the same tingle every time Jett shifted on the couch and his leg brushed against me.

This would be so much easier if they weren’t so freaking hot.

They both did their best to give me room, but I had to keep my hands flat on my knees to avoid being pressed against one of them. After a couple of beers, my inhibitions started to wane. By the time we finished The Princess Bride, I didn’t even care if I was practically sitting in their laps just to be comfortable on the couch. I tried to scoot closer to Jett because I didn’t want him to feel like I was on top of his twin brother when he was the one who invited me over. I just couldn’t avoid thinking about them both—imagining things that were so filthy they made me squirm. I wasn’t that kind of girl. Those thoughts shouldn’t have been running through my head. If I didn’t find a way to focus on something else, I was going to leave a wet spot on their couch before the evening was over.

“Okay, who wants another beer before we start the next one.” Rand stood up and grabbed the empty bottles.

“I’ll take one.” Jett raised his hand and nodded.

“I shouldn’t—ah what the hell. Yeah, I’ll take another one too.” I smiled and looked at the popcorn bowl. “Is it impolite to ask for more popcorn?”

“Not at all.” Rand chuckled and picked up the bowl. “Coming right up.”

“I never drink.” I blinked a few times, feeling the slight heaviness around each eye.

“Luckily you live pretty close.” He chuckled and started to stand.

“Yeah, just point me towards 4D and give me a push.” I leaned back against the couch and watched as he swapped out the movies.

“I’ll make sure you get home safe.” He turned back towards the couch. “You know this movie is probably just going to be nudity and murder, right?”

“It’s not my favorite thing to watch, but I like hanging out with you guys.” I shrugged and scooted over to give him some room when he got back to the couch.

“I like hanging out with you too.” He smirked and nodded.

Jett sat down on the couch and as he adjusted his position, he practically pressed against me. Our eyes met and I saw his steel-colored orbs flash with a hint of something that I hadn’t seen yet— desire. He seemed to stop breathing for a moment and I felt my heart racing. Was he going to kiss me? He took my hand and squeezed it. His serious expression was exactly what I needed at that moment because my heart felt like it was about to do a somersault. I wasn’t sure how I would react if he did kiss me, but just looking into his eyes was making me tingle more than I had all night. He finally exhaled, slowly, and just when I thought he was going to lean in for the kiss my body was starting to crave—he leaned back. I couldn’t hide the disappointment on my face. I swallowed hard and sighed, not even trying to be subtle about it.

“I’m sorry.” He let go of my hand.

“Why?” I tilted my head to the side. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, it’s not you—it’s just very complicated.” He closed his eyes for a moment and his face twisted into a grimace.

“Okay.” I nodded and folded my arms across my chest.

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; If I say what I’m really thinking, I’ll probably regret it.

“Who’s ready for round two?” Rand walked into the room with a bowl of popcorn and three beers.

“I got it queued up.” Jett motioned to the television.